I saw this on my Facebook feed. I snapped a picture of it, not wanting to actually click on the link because I did not want to dive any deeper down the rabbit hole. I looked at it for a while. I doodled it for a while, a long while. I used colored markers. I used a pencil. I used a pen. I asked my wife. I asked some friends.
One person came up with a strategy but it add a line not on the original drawing. We concluded that it is not possible if the challenge is to stay only on the original grey lines. Every permutation lead us back to the the same conclusion, there is always one line segment left untraced. I officially gave up the quest.
It took about two days for me to try and conclude that this was a waste of time. It took Cindy about five minutes. I was willing to pound on it a lot longer. She was certain much quicker.
How often in life do we waste life on the unfruitful, the impossible and the absurd. We keep trying old strategies in life and keep coming to the same conclusion—this is not working. We get in the same arguments. We are frustrated by the same behaviors. We are angry about the injustices. We are trying to fix people, change people, but the seem resistant to all change.
Knowing when to keep on trying and use the gift of perseverance or when to dust off our feet and move on seems to be a crucial bit of discernment. I think I get it right sometimes. I know I get it wrong sometimes. I’m in one of those spots right now when I am standing on the edge trying to discern a pathway and uncertain. I’m praying that God will show me the path.